Two-riser heating and cooling unit

ABSTRACT

A heating and cooling unit for installation in a building and including a pair of vertically extending risers extending for the length of a housing and adapted for connection to risers of corresponding units located on adjacent floors to form a continuous flow circuit for a heat exchange medium through all of the units. The housing is adapted to receive a reversible air conditioning unit and provides for connections between the unit and the risers. Heat exchange fins may be associated with the risers to form a riser heat exchanger. The air conditioning unit can be used in a standard cycle cooling mode or in a reverse cycle heating mode, and can be used in conjunction with, or independent of, the riser heat exchanger. A fan is provided in the housing to circulate air from the particular room, through the housing and back into the room.

United States Patent 1 1 1 1 3,765,476

Whalen 1 Oct. 16, 1973 TWO-RISER HEATING AND COOLING PrimaryExaminer-Manuel A. Antonakas UNIT Attorney-Joseph M. Lane et al.

[76] Inventor: James J. Whalen, Clarkson Dr.,

Fulton, Md. 20759 [57] 3 AB T,

[22] Filed: May 1972 A heating and cooling unit for installation in abuild- [21] Appl. N 248,804 ing and including a pair of verticallyextending risers extending for the length of a housing and adapted forconnection to risers of corresponding units located on [52 us. c1165/16, 165/22, 165/35 adjacent floors to form a continuous flow circuitfor a [51] ll?- Cl. heat exchange medium through a of the units. TheFleld of Search 26, 27, 29, housing i adapted to receive a reversibleairwcondb 165 l6 tioning unit and provides for connections between theunit and the risers. Heat exchange fins may be associ- [56] ReerencesC'ted ated with the risersto form a riser heat exchanger.

UNITED STATES PATENTS The air conditioning unit can be used in astandard 2,794,624 6/1957 Campagna et a1. 165/56 cycle cooling m d r ina r rs y l ating 3,074,477 1/ 1963 Whalen 165/50 X mode, and can be usedin conjunction with, or inde- 3,685,575 8/1972 Henriot. 165/50 X p ndentof, the riser heat exchanger, A fan is provided 2x32; 1 'r at a]. i: inthe housing to circulate air from the particular ve1 ,th hth ho db3,650,318 3/1972 Avery 165/35 x room mug e an ac m o the room 2,715,5148/1955 Stair 165 50 x 15 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures 3,252,507 5/1966Conroy 165/22 L I l nnnnnnnn 11 11111111 |1|1 1111 ll 11 11 1111 11 111111 I111 11 I1 1111 1 ll 11 11 I111 LI 1] ll II II ll ll PATENTEDUBI 16ms 3.765476 sum 1 or 2 FIG 2. FIG. 3.

F/G. 4. 2o

1 TWO-RISER HEATING AND COOLING UNIT BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Thisinvention relates to a heating and cooling unit and more particularly toa two-riser unit to selectively heat or cool a room in which it isinstalled.

Various types of water systems have been proposed for heating and/orcooling a plurality of rooms in a building. In the basic water system,heat exchange units are provided in the various rooms and are connectedwith a main flow circuit which includes a central water heatingapparatus, a central water cooling apparatus, or both. The heating orcooling apparatus raises or reduces the temperature of the water and apump forces the water into the main flow circuit and through the heatexchanger, after which it is returned to the apparatus for eitherheating or cooling.

In the majority of these types of water systems the main flow circuitfor the water is usually offset, or spaced, from the individual units inthe room. This requires a great deal of laterally extending, branchconduits to connect the main flow circuit to each unit. The large numberof branch conduits required in large installations considerably adds tothe cost of the system, both from a materials and a labor standpoint.

To further compound the cost problem, the use of both a central waterheating apparatus and a central water cooling apparatus considerablyadds to the cost of the rental or purchase price of each individual roomin the building. Therefore, in climates in which only one operationalmode is absolutely necessary, some residents of a particular buildingmay also have to pay for a central apparatus for the other mode eventhough they do not particularly desire same, either for personalreasons, or due to the particular exposure of their apartment, etc.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION ltis therefore an object of the presentinvention to provide a package heat exchange unit which can be easilyinstalled in a building with a minimum of pipe fitting and labor costs.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a unit which isbasically a two-riser unit which is adapted to receive a reverse cycleair conditioning unit to provide added flexibility and 'to avoid theproblems noted above.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is a perspective view of theheating and cooling unit of one embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 2 and 3 are vertical cross-sectional views taken along the lines2-2 and 3--3, respectively, of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a horizontal cross-sectional view taken along the line 44 ofFIG. 2;

FIGS. 5 and 9 are views similar to FIG. 2 but depicting alternateembodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken along the line 66 ofFIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a partial, enlarged, sectional view of the hinge-damper bladeconnection of FIG. 6; and

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a standard air conditioning unit used inthe unit of the present invention, with its outer casing being removed.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The unit of the embodiment ofFIGS. 1-4 is shown in general by the reference numeral 10 and comprisesan elongated housing 12 adapted to extend from the floor to the ceilingof the room in which it is mounted. The front wall of the housing 12 hastwo elongated openings at the lower and upper portion thereof to receivean air intake grill l4 and an air outlet grill 16, respectively. Athermostat 17 is mounted in the front wall of the housing forcontrolling the operation of the unit in a manner to be described indetail.

Referring to FIGS. 2-4, a transverse horizontal partition 18 is mountedin the housing 12 to divide the housing into an upper and lowercompartment. The upper right section of .the partition 18, as viewed inFIG. 4, is cut out to provide a fan discharge openingshown by thereference numeral 20.

The lower compartment defined by the partition l8 contains a drain pan22 which forms the floor of the housing 12 and a scroll fan 24 mountedimmediately below the partition 18. The scroll fan 24 is of theconventional type which draws air axially in both ends thereof andforces it tangentially through an outlet 24a which registers with thedischarge opening 20. For further details of the drain pan 22 and thescroll fan 24, including the manner in which the latter is mounted inthe housing, reference is made to applicants copending US. patentapplication Ser. No. 854,038, filed on Aug. 29, 1969, and assigned tosame assignee as the present invention, the disclosure of thisapplication hereby being incorporated by reference.

A pair of horizontally extending support braces 26 and 28 extendfromfront to rear of the housing and are secured to the front and rear wallsthereof immediately above the drain pan 22, in any conventional manner,such as by the use of the sheet metal screws. The purpose of the supportbraces 26 and 28 are to receive an optional reversible air conditioningunit to be described in detail.

A vertically extending partition 30 is located immediately adjacent thefan discharge opening 20 and extends from the partition 18 to the upperportion of the housing l2 and parallel to the front wall of the housingto further compartmentalize the interior of the housing.

A riser heat exchanger, shown in general by the reference numeral 32 isdisposed in the upper compartment of the housing 12. The heat exchanger32 comprises two vertically extending, spaced risers 34 and 36 whichextend the entire length of the housing with their ends projectingslightly from each end of the housing. The upper portions of the risers34 and 36 are supported by means of a horizontally extending partition38 which is secured in the housing 12 near the upper end thereof. Theheat exchanger 32 also includes a plurality of rectangular, spacedplates 40 extending over the risers 34 and 36 with openings beingprovided in the plates to receive the risers.

One side portion of each of the plates 40 is notched to accommodate adrain riser 42 which extends for the entire length of the housing 12 toprovide a draining function which also will be described in detail.

The unit 10 is designed for installation in a multistory building andthe portions of the risers 34, 36, and 42 which project from the upperand lower ends of the housing 12 are of a precise predetermined lengthto enable them to be directly connected to corresponding risers ofidentical units formed on floors of the building adjacent to the floorin which the unit is mounted. The connections would most likely be madein bores formed in the floor (or ceiling) of the particular roomsinvolved, with the connections being made in any conventional mannersuch as by tubular dual coupling devices, etc.

In the preferred operation of the unit of FIGS. 1-4, one set of therisers 34 and 36 installed in the above manner is connected to a centralheating system which may be in the form of a boiler, or the like, forheating water supplied thereto from a municipal supply, or the like.This water is heated to a relatively high temperature and is pumpeddirectly from the boiler through the riser- 34, and the correspondingrisers of the units on adjacent floors connected to the riser 34, and isreturned by the riser 36 and its corresponding risers. For example, ifthe boiler is located in the basement of the building, it would beconnected to the lowermost riser 34 and a pump would be provided to pumpthe relatively hot water from the boiler upwardly through the latterriser and its corresponding risers, to the top of the building whereby aU-shaped connection, or the like, would reverse the direction of flowand permit return of the water through the riser 36 and itscorresponding risers.

The risers 34 and 36 are provided with coupling devices 46 and 48respectively in order to enable them to be connected in a flow'circuitof a reversible air conditioning unit which may be installed in thelower compartment of the housing 12. The details of the-coupling device46 is better shown with reference to FIG. 2, it being understood thatthe coupling device 48 is identical. In particular, the couplingdevice'46 comprises a horizontal pipe 50 registering the riser 34 andhaving a valve member 52 fixed at one end thereof for regulating theflow of water there'through. A vertical pipe 54 is connected at one endto the valve member 52 and at the other end to a standard couplingdevice 56, which, in turn, is adapted for connection to a pipe in aconventional manner. For example, the coupling device 56 may beinternally threaded and rotatable relative to the vertical pipe 54 inorder to be threadably engagable with an externally threaded pipe, whichin this case would be the pipe of the above-mentioned air conditioningunit.

The unit 10 of the embodiment of FIGS. I-4, and other correspondingunits, would be installed in a building with the valves-52 on the risers34 and 36 shut off and without the air conditioning unit installed.

within the housing l2. As such, the unit is operable in one mode only,such as heating, in which case the water is heated by the heating systemdescribed above and is passed in a continuous flow circuit through therisers 34 and 36 and their corresponding risers, whereby the heatexchanger32 is maintained at a relatively high temperature.

In this arrangement the thermostat 17 is adapted to control theoperation of the fan 24 in order to turn the latter on and off inresponse to temperature variations in the room. Actuation of the fan 24causes air to pass into the lower portion of the housing 12 through theinlet grill 14, through the discharge opening 20 and upwardly into theupper compartment of the housing 12. The partition 30 directs the airthrough the heat exchanger 32 where it is heated before passing out theoutlet grill 16, with the flow pattern being indicated by the arrows inFIG. 4.

The thermostat 17 can regulate the fan operation depending on theparticular temperature conditions in the room to be heated. For example,if the temperature in the room is relatively low, the thermostat 17 willmaintain the fan on to function in the above manner until the heated airbrings the room temperature up to a predetermined value, at which timethe thermostat will turn the fan off until the temperature again dropsbelow a predetermined value.

It can be appreciated that the unit 10 is relatively inexpensive in costsince it is adapted for only one operational mode, and requires aminimum of installation materials and labor. Also, as will be moreapparent from the following, the unit 10 can be easily converted toperform in both a heating and cooling mode without the necessity ofadding a separate central cooling system.

FIGS. 5-8 depict the basic unit of the embodiment of FIGS. l-4 but withtwo optional features added thereto. Since the basic structure shown inFIGS. 5-8 is identical to that of FIGS. 1-4, the same reference numeralwill be used.

According to one of the above-mentioned features, a vertical partition30a is provided which is identical to the partition 30 of the embodimentof FIGS. 1-4 with respect to both location and size with the exceptionthat the width of the partition 30a is less than that of the partition30. Also in the embodiment of FIGS. 5-8 a vertical brace 60 is providedwhich extends between the horizontal partitions 18 and 38 and which,together with the partition 30a, defines an elongated space 62 whichprovides an alternate flow path for air discharged into the dischargeopening 20.

According to one of the above-mentioned features, a damper blade 64 ispivotally mounted to the brace 60 by means ofa hinge 66. The hinge 66 isof a continuous flexible material, such as plastic, and is attached tothe brace 60 and to the damper blade 64 to enable the latter to movebetween the two positions shown by the solid lines and by the dashedlines in FIG. 6.

The connections between the brace 60, the hinge 66 and the damper blade64 are shown in detail in FIG. 7 in the position shown by the solidlines in FIG. 6. In particular the hinge 66 extends over a portion ofone face of the brace 60 and the blade 64 for their entire lengths, andmay be attached to each in any conventional manner.

As shown in FIG. 6 the width of the damper blade 64 is sufficient toblock air flow through the space 62 when the blade is in the positionshown by the solid lines, and to block air flow through the heatexchanger 32 when in the position shown by the dashed lines.

The damper blade 64 is moved between the two positions shown by means ofa damper rotor 68 which is mounted on the bottom surface of thepartition 18 and which is electrically connected to, and controlled by,the thermostat 17 in the same manner that the thermostat of the previousembodiment controlled the operation of the fan 24.

The unit 10 can be operated in a single mode, such as heating, utilizingthe damper blade 64 without any further additions or modifications tothe unit. In this case the fan 24 operates continuously and the damperblade selectively directs the flow of air over the heat exchanger 32 oraway from the heat exchanger depending on the particular roomconditions. For example, and assuming the unit is adapted to operate ina heating mode, if the temperature in the room is relatively low, thethermostat 17 will actuate the damper motor 68 in a manner to move thedamper blade 64 to the position shown by the solid lines in FIG. 6,where it blocks air flow through the space 62 and permits flow throughthe heat exchanger 32. The air is then heated by the relatively warmtemperatures at this heat exchanger due to the presence of thecirculating hot water as discussed in connection with the embodiment ofFIGS. 1-4, before the air exits through the outlet grill 16.

When the heated air passing outwardly from the outlet grill 16 bringsthe temperature of the room up to a predetermined temperature thethermostat 17 will cause the motor 68 to move the damper blade 64 to theposition shown by the dashed lines in FIG. 6 and thus block the flow ofair through the heat exchanger 32 and enable it to pass through thespace 62 and out the outlet grill 16. Thus in this mode, air will becontinually circulated through the room with the thermostat controllingwhether the air that is passed back into the room is heated'or not. Itcan be appreciated that this is especially advantageous in areas inwhich a continual circulation of air is advantageous, such as in roomswhere there is a great deal of smoking, etc.

It is apparent that although the units of both of the previousembodiments have been described in connection with a heating function,they can just as easily be used in a cooling mode by simply passingrelatively cool water from a cooling tower, or the like, through theheat exchanger 32.

In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, areversible air conditioning unit, shown in general by the referencenumeral 70 in FIGS. 5 and with its outer casing removed in FIG. 8, ismounted in the lower compartment of the housing 12 with the latter unitbeing shown by dashed lines in FIG. 5 since it is an optional feature.This mounting is relatively simple and involves only removing the inletgrill 14, and sliding the unit 70 on the support braces 26 and 28 intothe housing 12.

Since the unit 70 is of a conventional design, it will be described onlyin general terms for the purposes of the present invention. The unit 70comprises a housing 72 which contains a compressor 73 and a flow circuitfor circulating a heat exchange medium, such as a liquid coolant. Theflow circuit is formed by a portion of coiled tubing 74a disposed on topof the housing 72 with the tubing being double jacketed, i.e. beingcomprised of an inner pipe through which the liquid coolant circulates,and a concentric outer pipe extending over the inner pipe to form a heatexchanger. The ends of this outer pipe are connected to the couplings 46and 48, respectively, so that the water passing through the risers 32and 34 and their corresponding risers is routed through this outer pipein a heat exchange relation to the liquid coolant circulating throughthe inner pipe whereby the water either gives heat to, or takes heatfrom, the liquid coolant, depending on the operational mode of the unit70.

The remaining portion of the flow circuit is formed by the portion ofthe above-mentioned inner pipe that is not surrounded by the outer pipe.This portion is shown by the reference numeral 74b and is coiled in aconventional manner to form a second heat exchanger positioned so thatthe liquid coolant is placed in a heat exchange relation to the airpassing through the inlet grill 14. As a result the unit can operate ina cooling mode in which the liquid coolant flows in one direction andthe latter heat exchanger operates as an evaporator, whereby the liquidcoolant evaporates and takes heat from the air to cool same, or as acondensor in which the liquid coolant flows in an opposite direction,condenses, and gives up heat to the air to heat same. A four-way valveis connected in the above-mentioned flow circuit to reverse the flowdirection of the liquid coolant through the tubing portions 74a and 74bwhen the operational modes of the unit 70 are changed, in a conventionalmanner.

According to a preferred embodiment, the unit 10 incorporates both theair conditioning unit 70 and the movable damper blade 64, and, as such,can be operated in either an automatic mode or in a special heatingmode. In the automatic mode a cooling tower supplies water to the riser34 and its corresponding risers at a predetermined temperature rangethat is less than the temperature of the water supplied to the heatexchanger in the unit of the embodiment of FIGS. l-4 when the latterunit is adapted for heating. This temperature range prefereably is about7090F. so that the unit 70 will operate in both the standard cyclecooling mode and in the reverse cycle heating mode depending on thedirection of flow of the coolant, as discussed above. As a result, theair passing from the inlet grill l4 and through the unit 70 will becooled in the cooling mode, and heated in the heating mode, of thelatter unit.

In the automatic mode, the fan 24 operates continuously and a functionswitch is provided on the same control panel as the thermostat 17 which,when moved to the automatic mode, will cause the damper motor 68 to movethe damper blade 64 to the position shown by the dashed lines in FIG. 6,in which it blocks air flow through the heat exchanger 32 as long as thefunction switch is in the automatic mode. Since the connections betweenthe function switch, the above-mentioned motor, and the damper blade areconventional, they will not be described in any further detail.

Also, in accordance with this embodiment the thermostat 17 is of aconventional dead band" design which incorporates an element movablebetween two spaced fixed elements in response to temperature variations.These elements are connected in an electrical circuit with theabove-mentioned four-way valve and the compressor 73 of the airconditioning unit 70. As a result, the operation of the compressor andthe direction of circulation flow of the heat exchange medium in theunit 70, and therefore the cycle in which the latter operates, will becontrolled in response to temperature variations in the room in whichthe unit is installed. This operation is such that, upon the movableelement of the thermostat l7 contacting one fixed element in response toa predetermined elevated temperature, the compressor 73 will be turnedon and the valve will move to a position whereby the unit operates inthe cooling mode. Upon the temperature dropping a relatively smallamount, the movable element will release from the latter fixed element,and the compressor 73 will be turned off to terminate the coolingfunction of the unit 70. Upon the temperature in the room dropping tosuch a degree that the movable element of the thermostat 17 moves to theother fixed element, the valve will be moved to a position to change theoperation of unit 70 to the heating mode, and to' turn the compressor 73on.

Thus, the four-way valve which controls the air conditioning unit 70will stay in a given position despite the movable element of thethermostat 17 leaving a fixed element. However, when the movable elementmoves over to make contact for the first time with the other fixedelement the position of the four-way valve is changed. The compressor isturned on upon contact of the movable element with either fixed elementand turned off whenever the movable element is not in contact witheither of the two fixed elements.

In operation with the four-way valve in the heating position and thefunction switch in the automatic mode, the damper blade takes theposition shown by the dashed lines in FIG. 6 as discussed above, and thefan 24 runs continuously. Assuming that the temperature in the roomreaches a relatively high value, the movable element of the thermostat17 will contact the fixed element which causes the four-way valveassociated with the air conditioning unit 70 to move to a position inwhich the latter unit operates in its standard cooling cycle. As aresult, the water passing through the outer jacket of the tubing portion74a operates to remove heat from the liquid coolant passing through theunit 70 and the air is cooled as it passes over the tubing portion 74bin its flow from the inlet grill l4 and into the fan 24, in the mannerdiscussed above. The cool air is discharged by the fan into the outletopening 20 and takes the flow path shown by the dashed arrows in FIG. 6,thus bypassing the heat exchanger 32. Upon the temperature of the roomdropping to a point that the movable element of the thermostat 17 breaksthe contact with the latter-mentioned fixed element, the compressor 73will be turned off and the air circulating through the system will notbe cooled by the unit 70 until the movable element moves back to thelatter fixed element whereupon the compressor 73 will operate, and theunit 70 will again cool the air.

Upon the temperature of the room dropping to an extent that the movableelement of the thermostat 17 moves to the other fixed element, thefour-way valve associated with the unit 70 operates to reverse the cycleof the unit 70 and the latter to operate in a heating. mode. In thisoperation, the water supplied to the outer jacket of the tubing portion74a adds heat to the heat exchange medium, and the unit 70 operates in aheating mode to heat the air passing through the housing 12 before it isdischarged from the outlet grill 16, as discussed above.

It is thus seen that the operation of this unit in the automatic modeprovides heating or cooling without employing a central air conditioningunit or a central heating unit.

Due to the presence of the movable damper blade 64, and the plates 40extending over the risers 34 and 36, the unit of FIGS. 5 and 6 is easilyadapted for operation in a special heating mode for use in cold weatherclimates requiring a greater degree of heating than that made possibleby the unit 70 operating in its heating cycle. In accordance with thisoperation, movementof the above-mentioned function switch to the specialheating mode moves the damper blade 64 to the position shown by thesolid lines in FIG. 6 and deactivates the compressor of the unit 70.Also, the risers 34 and 36 and their corresponding risers are connectedin a circuit including a boiler, or the like, for supplying water at arelatively high temperature. In this special heating mode, the fan 24would be connected to the thermostat 17 in a manner to cycle on and offin accordance with temperature variations as discussed in connectionwith the embodiment of FIGS. 1-4. Therefore, upon the thermostat 17calling for heat, the air passing in through the inlet grill 14 isheated upon passing from the fan 24 over the hot heat exchanger 32before it is discharged through the outlet grill 16.

It can be appreciated that in climates in which heating is required butcooling is not absolutely necessary, the unit of FIGS. 5-7 can beinstalled for operation in a heating mode only utilizing the heatexchanger 32, with the addition of the air conditioning unit 70 beingoptional to the occupants of the individual apartments or rooms. Thiswould require the addition of only a cooling tower to the building andconnection facilities to connect the risers 34 and 36 to the boiler forcirculating hot water, or to the cooling tower for circulating water atthe above-mentioned intermediate temperature range so that the airconditioning unit 70 can operate in its cooling mode, as discussedabove. This flexibility is particularly advantageous in climates whereheating is absolutely necessary while the need for cooling is marginal.As a result, the individual occupants of the rooms can have cooling attheir own option by simply having a unit 70 installed in theirrespective housings 12. As a result, the rest of the occupants do nothave to share in the expense of a central air conditioning unit.

In each of the previous embodiments, the drain pan 22 serves to collectcondensation caused by the heat exchange occurring in the housing 12, itbeing understood that the drain riser 42 is notched in the vicinity ofthe pan so that excess condensation is transferred through the latterpipe and its corresponding pipes to a central drain, preferably locatedin the basement of the building. As stated above, further details ofthis drain system are set forth in the cited application.

The unit depicted in the embodiment of FIG. 9 is a simplified versionwhich eliminates the function switch, the movable damper blade, the heatexchanger plates,

' and the drain riser. Otherwise the structure is identical to that ofthe previous embodiments and is therefore given identical referencenumbers.

According to the embodiment of FIG. 9, the air conditioning unit issupplied by water in an intermediate temperature range in a manner sothat the unit can operate both in a cooling mode and in a heating modeas discussed in connection with the automatic operation of the unit ofthe embodiment of FIGS. 5-8. The fan 24 operates continuously and thethermostat 17 is of the dead band variety and controls the operation ofthe compressor 73 and the position of the four-way valve controlling thedirection of flow of the heat exchange medium through the tubingportions 74a and 74b, also in a manner identical to the operation of theunit of FIGS. 5-8 in the automatic mode.

In operation, the air passes through the inlet grill 14 and over theunit 70 where it is either heated or cooled, and then through the fan 24and outwardly through the discharge opening into the upper compartmentof the housing 12, where it flows upwardly and outwardly through theoutlet grill 16.

In the event it is desired to provide a special heating mode for thewinter season, an electrical heating unit of a conventional design canbe mounted in the upper compartment of the housing 12 immediately abovethe discharge opening 20. The unit 80 can be connected to the thermostat70 in a manner to be turned on when the movable element of thethermostat contacts the fixed element thereof that operates the airconditioning unit in the heating mode, and turned off when the movableelement breaks the contact with the latter fixed element. As in theprevious special heating mode, the function switch deactivates the unit70 in this position.

This unit, of course, enjoys several of the advantages of the unit ofFIGS. -8 and yet is cheaper in cost since it eliminates theabove-mentioned components.

Of course, variations of the specific construction and arrangement ofthe units disclosed above can be made by those skilled in the artwithout departing from the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An air conditioning system for installation in a building, saidsystem comprising an elongated housing, means dividing said housing intotwo compartments, an air inlet associated with one compartment and anair outlet associated with the other compartment, two verticallyextending risers disposed in said housing and extending the length ofsaid housing for direct connection to the risers ofcorresponding unitslocated on adjacent floors of said building to form a continuous flowcircuit for a heat exchange medium, one of said compartments havingmeans therein for supporting a refrigerant cycling unit, means in saidone compartment for connecting said risers to said refrigerant cyclingunit in a manner to place said heat exchange medium in a heat exchangerelation to said refrigerant, and means in said housing for circulatingambient air into said inlet, through said compartments and out from saidoutlet.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the end portions of each of said risersproject out from the ends of said housing to permit said connectionbetween adjacent housings. I

3. The system of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of fins disposedon said risers and forming heat exchange surfaces for said heat exchangemedium, and means in said housing for directing said ,air over saidfins.

4. The system of claim 1 further comprising thermostat means forcontrolling the operation of said circulating means in response to thetemperature in the vicinity'of said housing.

5. The system of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of fins disposedon said risers and forming heat exchange surfaces for said heat exchangemedium, and means in said housing for directing the flow of air throughsaid housing in a first path passing over said fins or in a second pathbypassing said fins.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein said air directing means comprises adamper blade movable between a first and a second position in which itselectively directs said air in said path.

7. The system of claim 6 further comprising thermostat means forcontrolling said movement of said damper blade in response to thetemperature in the vicinity of said housing.

8. The system of claim 1 further comprising a refrigerant cycling unitdisposed in said one compartment for conditioning the air passingthrough said one compartment.

9. The system of claim 8 further comprising electric heating meansdisposed in said housing and in the path of the air flow through saidhousing to heat said air.

10. The system of claim 1 further comprising a refrigerant cycling unitdisposed in said one compartment, said unit adapted to operate in aregular mode for cooling the air passing through said one compartmentand a reverse mode for heating the air passing through said onecompartment.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein said refrigerant cycling unitcomprises a first and second heat exchanger, means for circulating saidrefrigerant through said first and second heat exchangers and in a heatexchange relationship to said heat exchange medium at said first heatexchanger, and means for evaporating and condensing said refrigerant atsaid heat exchangers, the air being directed over said second heatexchanger as it circulates through said compartment.

12. The system of claim 10 further comprising valve means to reverse thecycle of said air conditioning unit so that it can function toselectively heat or cool said air, and thermostat means supported bysaid housing and responsive to a predetermined temperature in thevicinity of said housing for controlling the operation of said valvemeans.

13. The system of claim 11 wherein said thermostat means also controlsthe operation of said refrigerant cycling unit in its regular mode andin its reverse mode.

14. The system of claim 1 further comprising electric heating meansdisposed in said housing and in the path of the air flow through saidhousing to heat said air.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein said electric heating means isdisposed in said other compartment. l

1. An air conditioning system for installation in a building, saidsystem comprising an elongated housing, means dividing said housing intotwo compartments, an air inlet associated with one compartment and anair outlet associated with the other compartment, two verticallyextending risers disposed in said housing and extending the length ofsaid housing for direct connection to the risers of corresponding unitslocated on adjacent floors of said building to form a continuous flowcircuit for a heat exchange medium, one of said compartments havingmeans therein for supporting a refrigerant cycling unit, means in saidone compartment for connecting said risers to said refrigerant cyclingunit in a manner to place said heat exchange medium in a heat exchangerelation to said refrigerant, and means in said housing for circulatingambient air into said inlet, through said compartments and out from saidoutlet.
 2. The system of claim 1 wherein the end portions of each ofsaid risers project out from the ends of said housing to permit saidconnection between adjacent housings.
 3. The system of claim 1 furthercomprising a plurality of fins disposed on said risers and forming heatexchange surfaces for said heat exchange medium, and means in saidhousing for directing said air over said fins.
 4. The system of claim 1further comprising thermostat means for controlling the operation ofsaid circulating means in response to the temperature in the vicinity ofsaid housing.
 5. The system of claim 1 further comprising a plurality offins disposed on said risers and forming heat exchange surfaces for saidheat exchange medium, and means in said housing for directing the flowof air through said housing in a first path passing over said fins or ina second path bypassing said fins.
 6. The system of claim 5 wherein saidair directing means comprises a damper blade movable between a first anda second position in which it selectively directs said air in said path.7. The system of claim 6 further comprising thermostat means forcontrolling said movement of said damper blade in response to thetemperature in the vicinity of said housing.
 8. The system of claim 1further comprising a refrigerant cycling unit disposed in said onecompartment for conditioning the air passing through said onecompartment.
 9. The system of claim 8 further comprising electricheating means disposed in said housing and in the path of the air flowthrough said housing to heat said air.
 10. The system of claim 1 furthercomprising a refrigerant cycling unit disposed in said one compartment,said unit adapted to operate in a regular mode for cooling the airpassing through said one compartment and a reverse mode for heating theair passing through said one compartment.
 11. The system of claim 10wherein said refrigerant cycling unit comprises a first and second heatexchanger, means for circulating said refrigerant through said first andsecond heat exchangers and in a heat exchange relationship to said heatexchange medium at said first heat exchanger, and means for evaporatingand condensing said refrigerant at said heat exchangers, the air beingdirected over said second heat exchanger as it circulates through saidcompartment.
 12. The system of claim 10 further comprising valve meansto reverse the cycle of said air conditioning unit so that it canfunction to selectively heat or cool said air, and thermostat meanssupported by said housing and responsive to a predetermined temperaturein the vicinity of said housing for controlling the operation of saidvalve means.
 13. The system of claim 11 wherein said thermostat meansalso controls the operation of said refrigerant cycling unit in itsregular mode and in its reverse mode.
 14. The system of claim 1 furthercomprising electric heating means disposed in said housing and in thepath of the air flow through said housing to heat said air.
 15. Thesystem of claim 14 wherein said electric heating means is disposed insaid other compartment.